TAXED TO THE MAX

The down-home tale of a young girl in over her head when she gets drafted to replace the murdered tax commissioner.

Corrie Caters is a one-woman disaster area. She’s working at the tax office in Ocosawnee County, Ga., as an auto-tag clerk, trying to earn enough money to replace the kitchen and garage at her parents’ house, though she swears neither accident was her fault. Since there hasn’t been much going on for her since her ex-fiance, Bodie, left her at the altar, Corrie’s biggest goal is to get through her college night classes and forget about her past and the tax office. When notorious Billy Lee Woodhallen shows up at her job, Corrie’s relieved that he’s there to argue with her boss, Mr. Jethro, and not with her or her surly co-worker “Demon” Delores. The next day, however, Corrie finds Mr. Jethro in his office, dead. That’s obviously a problem for him, but for Corrie too, in ways she can scarcely imagine. Soon enough, she’s persuaded to assume the office of tax commissioner, an assignment she accepts specifically because Bodie thinks it’s a bad idea. He’s convinced that whoever was after Mr. Jethro may go after Corrie next. Sure enough, Corrie finds herself tracked by around-the-clock deputies before she knows what’s happening. Convinced that Billy Lee is the killer, Corrie wants to find a fast way to deal with his delinquent tax case but not with him…ever.

As full of folksy charm as an Alabama tick, Dale’s mystery debut will have readers laughing while they cringe at the idiosyncratic characters’ antics.